DabblebyDerinda: March 2012

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Goodbye Picnik...

I am so sad that Picnik is closing. I have been editing all my photos simply through them and have neglected using and learning my photoshop elements program. Well I guess it's time I learn cause Picnik is closing next month. I will miss you...thank you for allowing me to edit so many great photos all these years. Here are my recent picnik edits.

Friday, March 16, 2012

St. Patty's Day Party!

Had our party today at school. I thought I would share some of the things I made and some activities the kids and I did.

Rainbow Fruit Kabobs (Strawberries, Oranges, Pineapples, Green grapes, Blueberries, and Purple Grapes)

Leprechaun Trap (we thought we had him, but he cut a hole in the back and escaped with our gold...little did he know it was FOOLS gold: dried play dough coins painted with gold acrylic paint ;0)

Green Cupcakes (made by one of the parents) and Mini Sugar Cookies

Green Gifts: Green water bottles filled with green candy, green slime, a green pencil & note pad, green gum, all adorned with an Irish flag and shamrock balloon.

With the Luck Charms we did this graph: Lucky Charms Graph
and with the Skittles we sorted them by color and compared the groups in size.

All in a days work!!!

Monday, March 5, 2012

Book Box {Printable Books}

Hi there!!! For those of you who don't know I am a preschool teacher. I have my California Multiple Subjects K-12 Teaching Credential, but instead of teaching public school I opted to teach private preschool so that I could be with my daughter. She is 4 and will be heading off to Kindergarten this August...sigh. For the last year I've been printing easy to read books for the kids. We read the same book every day for a week and then on Friday the kids take it home and put it in their book box that we made in class (just a shoe box decorated with stickers). I ask that the kids (with a parent) read 2 books every night for homework. The kids LOVE the books and can memorize them in one day. I make sure that they are using proper directionality (left to right) and also that they are pointing to each word when it is read as well as using the return sweep when reading multiple lines. This has improved their reading skills tremendously and offers them a chance to use the phonics we've been working on tediously for the last 2 years. They can all pretty much read every book that I've printed on any given day. Now I know they have them memorized, but that's really the first steps into reading. When they read these books they are picking up sight words, learning new vocabulary, understanding that pictures and print contain messages, demonstrating the concepts of print, and starting to acknowledge punctuation. They also are building confidence in learning how to read. It's awesome!!!! I've been teaching the normal California preschool curriculum as well, but these books are an added bonus. There is no greater reward then teaching a child to read!

Here are some links to some fabulous sites that offer FREE printable books.

DLTK Printable Books
Reading A-Z Printable Books
Hubbard's Cupboard Printable Books
Starfall Printable Books
Professor Garfield Alpha Book Printable
Kids Zone Beginning Sound Printable Books
Clarkness.com

There are also other sites I haven't used yet. I only print FREE books,
I don't like to pay for anything if I don't have to. :0)

School Sparks

Dear School Sparks I wish I would have met you sooner!!

I found this awesome website called School Sparks a few weeks ago that has information and worksheets for Preschool and Kindergarten Readiness. I wish I would have known about it sooner because it's AWESOME!!! In teaching preschool I use the California Standards for Pre-K and these worksheets fit into my curriculum perfectly. Thank you School Sparks for offering your worksheets for FREE! As a preschool teacher I don't make a ton of money so having these worksheets that I can print without having to purchase is the icing on my preschool cake. THANK YOU!

Find them on facebook here: School Sparks on Facebook
Come check out their blog: School Sparks Blog